Submitted by Comcast
For many Spokane County households, WiFi is doing a lot more work than it used to. Phones, laptops, and televisions now share the home network with everything from doorbells and thermostats to gaming systems, smart speakers, and appliances.
Now, eligible Xfinity customers in Spokane County can also use that same home WiFi connection to add an extra layer of protection at no additional cost.
Xfinity Internet customers with an Advanced Xfinity Gateway can activate WiFi Shield, a new service that combines cybersecurity, home awareness and family controls through the technology customers already use to stay connected. WiFi Shield is part of the new Xfinity Shield platform and is managed through the Xfinity app.
The service arrives as the number of connected devices in American homes continues to grow. According to Comcast, the average Xfinity customer now has 36 devices connected to WiFi. More connections can also create more opportunities for malware, phishing attempts, hackers, and other online threats.
WiFi Shield is designed to help address those risks at the network level while also giving Spokane-area families new ways to keep an eye on their homes and manage how family members use the internet.
Helping Protect Every Device Connected to Home WiFi
One of WiFi Shield’s primary features is Xfinity CyberSecure, which helps automatically protect devices connected through the Xfinity Gateway against malware, hackers, phishing attempts, and other online threats.
Instead of relying solely on security software installed on individual laptops, phones, or other devices, CyberSecure works at the WiFi network level. That means it can continuously assess threats and help protect connected devices throughout the home.
Comcast says its network currently identifies, filters, and blocks an average of 30 million threats every day.
Customers also gain greater visibility into their home network, including the ability to see when new devices connect.
Turning WiFi Into a Home Awareness Tool
WiFi Shield also includes an optional feature called WiFi Motion, which can help customers know when unexpected activity occurs inside their homes — without requiring cameras or traditional motion detectors.
The technology uses the Advanced Xfinity Gateway and WiFi-connected devices already inside the home to detect changes in radio frequency signals. When it detects unexpected motion, customers can receive a notification through the Xfinity app.
The feature does not record video, take pictures, or identify individuals. That can give customers an additional way to stay aware of activity in the home, whether they are upstairs, at work, or traveling away from Spokane.
Giving Spokane County Families More Control Over Screen Time
For families juggling phones, tablets, gaming systems, televisions, and computers, WiFi Shield also brings several familiar household internet controls together through Family Settings.
Parents can create profiles for household members and assign connected devices to each person. From the Xfinity app, families can then set device limits, pause WiFi, establish schedules, and manage screen time.
Customers can customize WiFi Shield around different parts of their day through three protection modes — Home Watch, Away Watch and Dark Watch — allowing them to adjust features and notifications depending on whether they are home, away or asleep.
Together, the features are intended to make home protection simpler by integrating more security and control directly into the home WiFi experience rather than requiring customers to manage multiple separate services.
“Our goal was simple: make protection easier, smarter and more accessible,” said Fraser Stirling, Global Chief Product Officer at Comcast. “We believe the future of protection should be integrated into the technology people already use every day.”
Included With Eligible Xfinity Internet Service
Perhaps the most important feature for Spokane County customers is the price: WiFi Shield is included at no additional cost for Xfinity Internet customers with an Advanced Xfinity Gateway.
WiFi Shield became available August 18 and brings together three areas of protection, cybersecurity, home awareness, and family settings, within the Xfinity app.
Customers who want additional home-security capabilities can also choose Shield Select for $15 per month. Shield Select includes all the features of WiFi Shield plus an indoor camera, door/window sensor, cloud video storage, AI-powered smart motion detection, and 24/7 urgent-response functionality.
But for Spokane County Xfinity Internet customers who already have an Advanced Xfinity Gateway, WiFi Shield offers a new way to get more from the equipment and internet service already in their homes, using WiFi not only to connect their devices, but to help protect them, too.
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